Lubricant coating device and image forming apparatus incorporating the lubricant coating device

ABSTRACT

A lubricant supplying device comprises a solid lubricant, a lubricant applicator to scrape and supply the lubricant to a target, and a pressing mechanism to press the solid lubricant against the lubricant applicator. An amount of pressure applied to the solid lubricant by the pressing mechanism increases until one of a thickness of the solid lubricant and a number of printed sheets reaches a prescribed level after the lubricant starts being consumed.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority pursuant to 35 USC §119 to JapanesePatent Application No. 2010-058478, filed on Mar. 15, 2010, the entirecontents of which are herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a lubricant coating device and an imageforming apparatus, and in particular, to a lubricant supplying mechanismdisposed in a lubricant coating device and an image forming apparatus.

2. Description of the Background Art

As is well know, in an image forming apparatus, such as a copier, aprinter, a duplicator, etc., there is provided a lubricant supply systemthat supplies lubricant to a photoconductive member and an intermediatetransfer belt to decrease a friction resistance generally caused duringa cleaning process for cleaning the photoconductive member and theintermediate transfer belt after an image transfer process in order toprevent a porous image from being transferred therefrom in a transferprocess as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No.2001-305907 (JP-2001-305907-A).

Such lubricant is scraped and supplied to the photoconductive memberand/or the transfer belt by a supplying brush in rotary contacttherewith. However, when the lubricant is consumed and a thicknessthereof decreases, a contact condition of the supplying brush in contactwith the lubricant becomes unstable, and a supplying amount thereofpossibly becomes unsteady as well.

To avoid, such a problem, a prescribed system can be employed, in whicha pair of elastic members, such as springs, etc., press the lubricant atboth its lengthwise ends, respectively, toward the supplying brush withits axis aligned with a normal line of the supplying brush.

However, an elastic force possibly decreases as the lubricant isconsumed in proportion to an expansion amount of the spring. Inaddition, when an abrasion amount of the lubricant is different betweenthe lengthwise ends, supplying amount therefrom is also different fromeach other.

To avoid such a problem, the applicant has proposed a system capable ofuniformly supplying a prescribed amount of lubricant from the entirelengthwise portion thereof as described in Japanese Patent ApplicationLaid Open No. 2007-293240 (JP-2007-293240-A), which is submitted as IDS.Therefore, the description of the system is herein incorporated byreference.

However, it is realized that avoiding deterioration of a supplying brushas time elapses is important to maintain a preferable contact conditionof the lubricant in contact with the supplying brush.

Because, when the supplying brush scrapes off the lubricant by frictiontherebetween and supplies it to a target, bristles of the brushsometimes deform and flattened due to the friction resistance as timeelapses.

Nor can this problem be solved simply by maintaining the pressure of thelubricant against the supplying brush at a prescribed constant levelusing the above-described technology. Thus, for example, when thesupplying brush bites hard into the lubricant, the bristles of the brushtend to flattened more. As a result, the amount of lubricant to besupplied possibly largely decreases. To minimize such flattering anddeformation, the invasion amount can be decreased. However, because thecontact condition of the brush in contact with the lubricant becomesunstable at light pressure because the brush is not perfectly round,lubricant supply becomes unstable.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to address andresolve such and other problems and provide a new and novel lubricantsupplying device that comprises a solid lubricant, a lubricantapplicator to scrape and supply the lubricant to a target, and apressing mechanism to press the solid lubricant against the lubricantapplicator. An amount of pressure applied to the solid lubricant by thepressing mechanism increases until one of a thickness of the solidlubricant and a number of printed sheets reaches a prescribed levelafter the lubricant starts being consumed.

The pressing mechanism includes a bias device to provide a bias, andplural pressing members to receive the bias from the bias device andsymmetrically press the solid lubricant at two positions thereof about acontact center in a prescribed pressing direction. A direction of thebias is perpendicular to the prescribed pressing direction. Each of theplural pressing members has a fulcrum and is freely swingabletherearound. An angle formed by an extension line extending through anoperation point and the fulcrum provided in each of the plural pressingmembers and the prescribed pressing direction decreases while an angleformed by an extension line extending through a power point and thefulcrum provided in each of the plural pressing members and theprescribed biasing direction increases as the solid lubricant is scrapedand an amount thereof decreases. The operation point contacts a base ofthe lubricant supplying device via its contact section and the powerpoint receives the bias of the bias device.

In yet another aspect, the power point is located to meet the followinginequation when “A” is calculated by the following equality;

Ae/As>Fs/Fe,

and

“A”=(X×Y)/L ²,

wherein X represents a horizontal distance between the operation pointand the fulcrum, Y represents a vertical distance between the powerpoint and the fulcrum, L represents a distance between the operationpoint and the fulcrum, F represents a bias force of the bias device, andsuffixes “s” and “e” represent initial and final values, respectively.

In yet another aspect, the contact section of the pressing member is oneof point and area contact sections.

In yet another aspect, the contact section of the pressing member has acircular shape.

In yet another aspect, plural pressing members press the target via alubricant holder.

In yet another aspect, the lubricant applicator is a brush.

In yet another aspect, the pressing mechanism is enabled to press thesolid lubricant so that an invasion amount thereof into the brush isabout 10% and more of a natural length of a bristles of the brush.

In yet another aspect, a leveling member is provided to contact asurface of the target and level the solid lubricant when the lubricantis supplied thereon.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the present invention and many of theattendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the samebecomes better understood by reference to the following detaileddescription when considered in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of an image forming apparatus thatemploys an exemplary lubricant coating device according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a configuration of a cleaner for executing cleaningof a transfer belt provided in an image forming apparatus using anexemplary lubricant coating device according to one embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary pressing mechanism employed in thecleaner of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 typically illustrates an amount of invasion of an applicator intothe lubricant;

FIG. 5 typically illustrates an exemplary dynamic model related topressure utilized in the pressing mechanism of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 typically illustrates an exemplary relation between pressureagainst the lubricant in the dynamic model of FIG. 5 and an amount ofconsumption thereof;

FIG. 7 typically illustrates an exemplary relation between relationsbetween an amount of consumption of the lubricant and a number ofprinted sheets in a comparative example and one of the embodiments ofthe present invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary partial modification of the pressingmechanism of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 9 is a chart typically illustrating an exemplary relation between abiasing force of a pressing spring employed in the pressing mechanismand an amount of consumption of the lubricant.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Referring now to the drawing, wherein like reference numerals designateidentical or corresponding parts throughout several views, inparticular, in FIG. 1, a configuration of an image forming apparatusaccording to one embodiment of the present invention is described. Asshown, an image forming apparatus 100 is a tandem type that includes anendless intermediate transfer belt serving as an image bearer capable ofbearing a toner image thereon and plural image formation stationsarranged side by side along a stretching surface of the intermediatetransfer belt. Below an image formation section A in the image formingapparatus 100, there is provided a sheet feeding bank B accommodatingsheets serving as a recording medium.

In an image formation section A, there is provided an intermediatetransfer belt 1, which is wound around plural rollers 2A to 2F and isconveyed by the driving roller 2A In a direction shown by an arrow inthe drawing. A stretching surface of the intermediate transfer belt 1 ispartially bent to an inner circumferential surface side thereof by theroller 2F to create a space for disposing a below described fixingdevice 10, so that the height of the image forming apparatus isdecreased. Plural image formation stations capable of respectivelyforming different color images are arranged side by side facing one ofthe stretching surfaces of the intermediate transfer belt 1.

The respective image forming stations have substantially the sameconfiguration as others, and the black color image forming station K istypically described hereinafter. There is provided a rotatablephotoconductive drum 3 in the image forming station. Around thephotoconductive drum 3, a charger 4, a developing device 5, and acleaner 6 are arranged collectively constituting a process cartridge.

Above the image forming stations, there is disposed a writing device 7including a laser source for emitting a writing light to thephotoconductive drum 3 in accordance with image information via anoptical system. At positions opposing the photo-conductive drums 3 viathe intermediate transfer belt 1 in the respective image formingstations, there are provided primary transfer rollers 8 as a primarytransfer device.

A secondary transfer roller 9 as a secondary transfer member is disposeddownstream of the image forming station opposing a transfer backsideroller 2B via the intermediate transfer belt 1. The secondary transferroller 9 transfers an image superimposed on the intermediate transferbelt at once onto a sheet launched from the sheet feeding bank B. Thefixing device 10 is disposed downstream of the secondary transfer roller9 to fix a toner image onto the transfer member conveyed there by abelow described conveyance device 200.

The fixing device 10 is a belt type including a heating roller 10A, afixing roller 10B, a fixing belt 10C wound around the heating roller 10Aand the fixing roller 10B, and a pressing roller 10D opposing the fixingroller 10B. Since calorie of a belt is small, a warm up time reaching aprescribed temperature is decreased. During pinching and conveying thetransfer member between the fixing and pressing rollers 10B and 10D inthe fixing device 10, heat and pressure is applied thereto, so that thetoner image bored thereon is fused and penetrates thereby being fixed.

The transfer member having been subjected to the fixing process isconveyed toward a sheet ejection tray 100A disposed at an outside of theimage forming apparatus or toward a reversion conveyance device RP toexecute duplex copying.

Toner and alien substance, such as sheet dust, etc., remaining on theintermediate transfer belt 1 are removed by a belt cleaner 11 disposedin the vicinity of the bending section. The belt cleaner 11 of aconfiguration shown FIG. 1 includes one of a cleaning blade 11A, aroller, and a brush roller contacting the intermediate transfer belt 1.A backup roller 12 is disposed on the inner circumferential surface sideof the intermediate transfer belt 1 opposing the cleaner to expeditescraping efficiency of the cleaner scraping the alien substance.

Plural sheet feeding cassettes B1 and B2 are provided in the sheetfeeding bank B each including a launching roller B3 and a sheet feedingroller B4 on the transfer member launching side therein. On theconveyance path for conveying the transfer member launched from thesheet feeding cassettes B1 and B2, there is provided a registrationroller 13 upstream of a secondary transfer section where a secondarytransfer roller is disposed, so that the registration roller can launchthe transfer member at a prescribed registration time to synchronizewith an image position. Back to FIG. 1, C denotes a manual sheet feedingsection. A conveyance path connected to the manual sheet feeding sectionC meets a conveyance path coming from the sheet feeding bank upstream ofthe registration roller 13.

In the image forming apparatus 100 with such a configuration, when thephotoconductive drum 3 is uniformly charged by the charger 4 and awriting light is emitted from the writing device 7, a latent image isformed in the image forming station. Subsequently, toner supplied fromthe developing device 5 visualizes the latent image and generates atoner image.

The toner image born on the photoconductive drum 3 is transferred ontothe intermediate transfer belt using a transfer bias provided by theprimary transfer roller 8. A toner image generated by superimposingrespective images in the image forming stations is transferred at onceby the secondary transfer roller 9 onto a transfer member launched fromthe sheet feeding bank B. The transfer member having completed thesecondary transfer process is then conveyed toward the fixing device 10by a later described conveyance device 200. Subsequently, the tonerimage on the transfer member is fixed by the fixing device 10 and isthen conveyed toward either the sheet ejection tray 100A or thereversion conveyance device RP.

Completing the primary transfer process, the photoconductive drum 3 andintermediate transfer belt 1 are subjected to cleaning processes of thecleaners 6 and 10 disposed in the image forming station and the beltbending section, respectively, to prepare for the next image formation.

Now, an exemplary configuration of the cleaner for the intermediatetransfer belt 1 is more specifically described with reference to FIG. 2.As described with reference to FIG. 1, the cleaner 11 is disposedopposing the intermediate transfer belt 1 downstream of the secondarytransfer roller 9 in a moving direction of the intermediate transferbelt as shown by an arrow in FIG. 2.

In the cleaner 11, an inlet seal 11C preventing scattering of tonertherefrom, a cleaning blade 11A, and a brush roller 11 b are disposed onthe upstream side therein in the intermediate transfer belt movingdirection. The brushing roller 11B is enabled to rotate counter to amoving direction of the intermediate transfer belt 1 to removepre-transferred toner or alien substance, such as sheet dust, etc.,sticking thereto in cooperation with a cleaning blade that is giventendency of contacting the intermediate transfer belt 1 by the pressingspring 22A. In the drawing, 14 denotes a waste toner conveyance coil toeject waste toner to an outside of the cleaner.

A lubricant supplying device 20 is disposed on the downstream side ofthe intermediate transfer belt 1 in the cleaner 11. The lubricantsupplying device 20 includes a solid lubricant 20A, a supplying brushroller 20B including a bristles state rotator that rotates in adirection shown by an arrow and scrapes and coats the intermediatetransfer belt 1 with the solid lubricant contacting the solid lubricant20A. Also included are a leveling cleaning blade 20C that contacts theintermediate transfer belt to level and form a thin lubricant layerthereon, and a pressing spring 20C1 that provides tendency of contactingthe intermediate transfer belt 1 to the leveling cleaning blade 20C. Atopposing sections to the above-described brush rollers 11B and 20B viathe intermediate transfer belt 1, cleaning opposing rollers 12 and 12′are disposed as backside pressure members.

The brush roller 20B is made of PET bristles having fineness of about200 T (deci Tex) to supply the solid lubricant 20B to the surface of theintermediate transfer belt 1. If the brush fineness is too high,rigidity thereof becomes too strong to obtain a sufficient amount ofinvasion thereof capable of absorbing fluctuation of a pressing force.Further, it is not preferable for a surface performance of a cleaningtarget if high rigidity brush bristles slide and contact the cleaningtarget. By contrast, when the brush fineness is too low, the lubricantexcessively bites into the brush roller and flatten and deforms a brush.In this point of view, the brush fineness is preferably from about 100to about 300 T.

The solid lubricant 20A is biased against the brushing roller 20B by abias of the pressing spring employed in a later described pressingmechanism. The solid lubricant 20A is made of fatty acid metal salt. Themetal can be selected from zinc, iron, calcium, aluminum, lithium,magnesium, strontium, barium, cerium, titan, zirconium, lead, andmanganese or the like. The fatty acid salt is selected from at least oneof lauryl acid, stearic acid, palmitic acid, mysterium acid, and oleicacid or the like. Especially, zinc stearate and calcium stearate aremore effective in view of friction reduction on an image bearer.

Now, the pressing mechanism 30 for pressing the solid lubricant 20A ismore specifically described with reference to FIG. 3, wherein only aleft half thereof is illustrated because of its symmetric shape. Asshown, a holder 31 holds the solid lubricant 20A and includes a swingingfulcrum? around which the pressing member 32 made of polyacetal having afine sliding performance swings.

Thus, the two pressing members 32 are symmetrically arranged in thevicinity of both ends of the lubricant 20A about its lengthwise center,and are enabled to swing around supporting pins 31A disposed on theholder 31, respectively. The pressing member 32 includes a hook section32A between a base end having the supporting pin 31A and its swingingend. A pressing spring 33 is hooked by the hook sections 32A of therespective pressing members symmetrically arranged to pull thesepressing members as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid OpenNo. 2007-293240 (JP-2007-293240-A) by the applicant, the description ofwhich is incorporated herein.

Now, an exemplary characteristic configuration of a system in which apressing member 32 presses a solid lubricant via a holder 31 that holdsthe lubricant 20A is more specifically described.

As described below, one embodiment of the present invention ischaracterized in that an operation force N used as a pressing force isnot maintained constant, but is increased until a thickness of thelubricant 20A or a number of printed sheets reach a prescribed levelfrom when the lubricant 20A starts being consumed. More specifically,the hook section 32A is positioned at a prescribed location where anangle formed by an extension line that extends through an operationpoint generating an operation force and the fulcrum of the pressingmember 32 and the pressing direction of the solid lubricant 20Adecreases, while an angle formed by an extension line that extendsthrough a power point receiving the bias of the pressing spring 33 andthe fulcrum of the pressing member 32 and the biasing direction of thepressing spring 33 increases in accordance with decrease in thickness ofthe lubricant 20A as a result of consumption thereof.

According to a characteristic configuration of one embodiment of thepresent invention,

the pressing member 32 has a circular arc shape at its swinging side endcontacting a surface of a container casing 34 to receive a reactionforce from the container casing 34 when contacting thereto to use it asan operation force N applied to the lubricant 20A. Further, thelubricant 20A is pressed by the pressing member 32 and contacts thebrush bristles with the operation force N to create a bent of about 1 mmof the brush bristles when its natural length is about 5 mm.

Now, a change of an operation force N in accordance with changes of thepower and operation points of the pressing member 32 is typicallydescribed with reference to FIG. 5. As shown, the operation force N iscalculated by the following formula based on a balance of moments causedby distances from the fulcrum to the power and operation points;

N=(1/NL)F sin φ cos θ

When considering that the distances from the fulcrum, which areparameters of the moments when the pressing member 32 swings, arerepresented by the following first two equations, the above-describedoperation force N is sought by the following second equation;

L sin φ=Y, Cos θ=X/L,

and

N=F·(X·Y)/L ².

That is, an angle formed by an extension line that extends through anoperation point and the fulcrum of the pressing member 32 and thepressing direction of the solid lubricant 20A decreases, while an angleformed by an extension line that extends through a power point receivingthe bias of the pressing spring 33 and the fulcrum of the pressingmember 32 and the biasing direction of the pressing spring 33 increases,when the pressing member 32 swings sliding on the container casing 34 inaccordance with a change in thickness of the lubricant 20A as a resultof consumption thereof.

In one embodiment of the present invention, to increase the operationforce N in accordance with consumption amount of the solid lubricant 20Afrom initial consumption stage to a terminating consumption stage inaccordance with a change in angle of the pressing member 32 during itsswinging?, the hook 31A is positioned at a prescribed location on thepressing member 32 to meet the following inequation as shown in FIGS. 3and 5 when “A” is represented by the following equality;

Ae/As>Fs/Fe,

“A”=(X×Y)/L ²

wherein X represents a horizontal distance between the operation pointand the fulcrum, Y represents a vertical distance between the powerpoint and the fulcrum, L represents a distance between the operationpoint and the fulcrum, F represents a bias force of the bias device, andsuffixes “s” and “e” represent initial and time elapsing values,respectively. Further, Ts represents a thickness of the solid lubricant20A at its initial usage stage, where as Te represents that at itsconsumption terminating stage, wherein the below described relation isestablished.

Ts>Te

An exemplary condition of an increase in operation force caused byswinging movement of the pressing member 32 in the pressing mechanism 30in accordance with a consumption amount of the solid lubricant 20A isillustrated in FIG. 6.

As shown, when it is controlled to maintain a prescribed operationforce, an amount of consumption of the solid lubricant 20A graduallydecreases. By contrast, an amount of consumption of the solid lubricant20A does not decrease very much in one embodiment of the presentinvention, because the operation force is gradually increased.

Specifically, according to one embodiment of the present invention, theabove-described configuration is employed to intentionally avoiddeterioration of contact of the brushing roller 20B in contact with thesolid lubricant 20 by supposing that tips of the bristles of thebrushing roller 20B are flattened and causes the deterioration as timeelapses.

As a result, regardless of the flattering of the above-described brushhair, an amount of solid lubricant 20A does not decrease.

Further, about 1.5 N is designated as an operation force in theconsumption initial stage, i.e., an initial contact pressure of thebrushing roller 20B in contact with the solid lubricant 20A, and about 2N is designated as an operation force in the consumption final stage. Inthis situation, about 150 mg/Km, more preferably 100 mg/Km to 200 mg/Km,is designated as a consumption amount of the solid lubricant 20A perunit running length of the intermediate transfer belt 1 as a cleaningobjective to avoid transfer and cleaning malfunctions in the secondarytransfer section and the cleaner, respectively, due to increase in afriction coefficient.

Instead of the above-described circular arc shape 2, the swinging sideend of the pressing member 3 can be area and point shapes as far as theycan receive an operation force of a bias from the pressing spring 33.For example, the side end shape having a corner can be exemplified evenif X and Y distance values from the fulcrum slightly fluctuate as shownin FIG. 8.

Further, the lubricant supplying mechanism in the various embodimentscan be applied to an image bearer, such as a photoconductive member,etc., in addition to the intermediate transfer belt as a cleaningtarget. In such a situation, it is preferable that a ratio of pressureincrease of the pressing member is greater than when the photoconductivemember is targeted that when the intermediate transfer belt is targetedfor the reason as described below.

That is, when a toner image is transferred from the image bearer ontothe intermediate transfer belt and a surface friction coefficient of thephotoconductive member is higher than that of the intermediate transferbelt, a porous image is transferred in the transfer process as describedin Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2000-019858. Thus, thefriction coefficient of the image bearer located upstream is preferablykept smaller. Consequently, an amount of lubricant to be supplied ispreferably increased in proportion to an upper level of a position of acleaner. However, it is known that an amount of the lubricant suppliedchanges from the initial stage as time elapses as shown in FIG. 9.

As shown, pressure of the lubricant against the brush in the condition Ais twice as large as that of the condition B?, so that an amount oflubricant supplied becomes grater in the condition A. Even though adifference in supplying amount in the initial stage is prominent betweenthe conditions A and B, which is scarcely different later from eachother as time elapses. Under the condition in that the difference insupply amount is scarcely different from each other, an intended surfacefriction coefficient cannot be obtained depending of an operationcondition, such as image area rate, a number of consecutive sheetfeeding, etc., and is a friction coefficient of the intermediatetransfer member is possibly lower than that of the image bearer.

Accordingly, to maintain the surface friction coefficient of the tonerimage bearer located upstream to be lower even as time elapses, anincreasing rate of pressure of the lubricant supplying device ispreferably large in proportion to an upstream level thereof from theinitial stage as time elapses. Consequently, the surface frictioncoefficient of the image bearer located upstream can be maintained to belower even as time elapses.

Numerous additional modifications and variations of the presentinvention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is thereforeto be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, thepresent invention may be practiced otherwise that as specificallydescribed herein.

1. A lubricant supplying device comprising: a solid lubricant; alubricant applicator to scrape and supply the lubricant to a target; anda pressing mechanism to press the solid lubricant against the lubricantapplicator, wherein an amount of pressure applied to the solid lubricantby said pressing mechanism increases until one of a thickness of thesolid lubricant and a number of printed sheets reaches a prescribedlevel after the lubricant starts being consumed.
 2. The lubricantsupplying device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pressing mechanismincludes: a bias device to provide a bias; and at least two pressingmembers to receive the bias from the bias device and symmetrically pressthe solid lubricant at two positions thereof about a contact center in aprescribed pressing direction, wherein a direction of said bias isperpendicular to the prescribed pressing direction, wherein each of saidat least two pressing members has a fulcrum and is freely swingabletherearound, wherein an angle formed by an extension line extendingthrough an operation point and the fulcrum provided in each of the atleast two pressing members and the prescribed pressing directiondecreases while an angle formed by an extension line extending through apower point and the fulcrum provided in each of the at least twopressing members and the prescribed biasing direction increases as thesolid lubricant is scraped and an amount thereof decreases, saidoperation point contacting a base of the lubricant supplying device viaits contact section and said power point receiving the bias of the biasdevice.
 3. The lubricant supplying device as claimed in claim 2, whereinthe location of said power point satisfies the following inequation when“A” is calculated by the following equality;Ae/As>Fs/Fe,and“A”=(X×Y)/L ², wherein X represents a horizontal distance between theoperation point and the fulcrum, Y represents a vertical distancebetween the power point and the fulcrum, L represents a distance betweenthe operation point and the fulcrum, F represents a bias force of thebias device, and suffixes “s” and “e” represent initial and finalvalues, respectively.
 4. The lubricant supplying device as claimed inclaim 2, wherein said contact section of the pressing member is one ofpoint and area contact sections.
 5. The lubricant supplying device asclaimed in claim 2, wherein said contact section of the pressing memberhas a circular shape.
 6. The lubricant supplying device as claimed inclaim 2, further comprising a lubricant holder, wherein said at leasttwo pressing members press the target via a lubricant holder.
 7. Thelubricant supplying device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lubricantapplicator is a brush.
 8. The lubricant supplying device as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the brush comprises bristles and said pressingmechanism presses the solid lubricant into the brush to a depth of atleast about 10% of a natural length of the bristles of the brush.
 9. Thelubricant supplying device as claimed in claim 2, further comprising aleveling member to contact a surface of the target and level the solidlubricant when the lubricant is supplied thereon.
 10. An image formingapparatus, comprising: an image bearer to bear a toner image; anintermediate transfer member to receive the toner image; a firsttransfer device to transfer the toner image onto the intermediatetransfer member; a second transfer device to transfer the toner imagefrom the intermediate transfer member onto a sheet; and a lubricantsupplying device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lubricant supplyingdevice supplies the solid lubricant to the image bearer and theintermediate transfer member.
 11. The image forming apparatus as claimedin claim 10, wherein a rate of increase of said pressure applied to theimage bearer is greater than that applied to the intermediate transfermember.
 12. A method of supplying lubricant in a printing system,comprising the steps of: pressing a solid lubricant against anapplicator with prescribed pressure; scraping and supplying thelubricant with the applicator to a target disposed in the printersystem; and increasing the prescribed pressure until one of a thicknessof the lubricant and a number of printed sheets reaches a prescribedlevel.